Solanum chenopodioides
Solanum triquetrum
velvety nightshade, whitetip nightshade
Texas nightshade
petiolate;
petiole 1–3 cm;
blade simple, narrowly ovate to elliptic, 1.5–5(–7) × 0.5–3.5 cm, margins entire or sinuate, base cuneate to decurrent.
petiolate;
petiole 0.3–1.2 cm;
blade simple, deltate to hastate or triangular, sometimes linear, (1–)1.8–5 × (0.3–)1–3.5 cm, margins entire to basally 2-lobed, lobe margins entire, base truncate to subcordate or hastate.
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, unbranched or rarely forked, umbel-like, 3–7(–10)-flowered, 1–3(–4) cm, fruiting peduncles sharply reflexed from base.
terminal or lateral, leaf-opposed or occasionally extra-axillary, unbranched or occasionally forked, 3–6-flowered, 1–3 cm.
0.5–1 cm in flower and fruit, reflexed downward in fruit.
inserted into small sleeve on inflorescence axis, 0.6–1.2 cm in flower, 1–1.5 cm in fruit.
radially symmetric;
calyx not accrescent, unarmed, 2–3.5 mm, sparsely pubescent, lobes deltate, appressed in fruit;
corolla white or purplish, with greenish, yellowish, or brown central star, stellate, 0.8–1.5 cm diam., with sparse interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers ellipsoidal, 2–3 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
radially symmetric;
calyx not accrescent, unarmed, 2.5–3.5 mm, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, lobes triangular-acuminate;
corolla white or tinged with purple, often with shiny green or greenish white eye, stellate, 1.5–2 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers oblong, slightly tapered, 3.5–4 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
dull purplish black, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
bright shiny red, globose, 1–1.5 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
pale yellow, flattened, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
reddish brown, plump-reniform to flattened, ca. 4 × 2.5 mm, minutely pitted.
, semiwoody or scramblers with enlarged woody base, to 2 m, occasionally erect subshrubs to 0.5 m, unarmed, glabrous to densely pubescent, hairs usually ascending and pointing distally on stems, weak, unbranched, to 0.5 mm.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum chenopodioides
Solanum triquetrum
Solanum chenopodioides has been introduced sporadically and is occasionally adventive in North America. It is distinctive in having the fruiting peduncles strongly reflexed downward, but is otherwise difficult to distinguish from S. pseudogracile, with which it may be conspecific.
The illegitimate superfluous name Solanum gracile Dunal has often been used for S. chenopodioides (for example, J. K. Small 1913; A. E. Radford et al. 1968). W. G. D’Arcy (1974) included S. gracile (and its replacement name S. ottonis) in the synonymy of S. nigrescens but the taxa are distinct.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Solanum triquetrum is widespread in central, southern, and western Texas. It could be confused with S. dulcamara, which also has shiny green dots at the corolla lobe bases, but the flowers of S. triquetrum are white and the leaves more sharply triangular. Leaf shape and size in S. triquetrum are extremely variable (S. Knapp 2013).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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